Brigid

The Goddess has manifested in so many forms, from Shiva to the Virgin Mary. The history of religions around the world is a tale of countless attempts to suppress her, deny her, or co-opt her. And, yet, she keeps coming back, patiently, gently, like the mother that she is, but always, she comes back. On this section of our web site, we want to put up some brief descriptions of her many forms. On this page, we'd like to talk about Brigid, the Goddess of Ireland.

In so many cases, the worship of the Goddess was violently stamped out by the invading patriarchal cultures. In others, the Goddess was simply co-opted, turned into a deity or holy figure of the new culture. Brigid is a classic example of this.

Brigid was the Great Mother Goddess of Ireland, the triple-Goddess, manifesting maiden, woman, and crone. She was the Goddess of Spring and was worshipped particularly at the Great Sabat of Imbolc. She was the Goddess of poetry, arts and crafts, prophecy, healing, midwifery and smiths. She was the patron of the Bards and they prayed to her for inspiration in their songs and tales. Her symbol was the cow, probably because the crescent shaped horns of the cow represented the crescent moon.

Some scholars say that Brigid is from the word "brigh," meaning "power." Other's assert that it means, "bright," and it was said that she manifested with a bright flame coming out of her head. Her center of worship was a sacred well in Kildare, Ireland, which was tended constantly by her priestesses. It was said that on the 20th day of each month, she appeared at the well and tended it herself.

Now, in 450 the sacred well of Brigid was violently seized by the Christians. Her shrine was desecrated and taken over for the worship of…guess who? Saint Brigid, the Patron Saint of Ireland. Here are some of the characteristics of Saint Brigid:

She is the patron saint of babies, blacksmiths, arts and crafts, dairy workers (there's that cow again), Ireland, poets and travelers.

It was said that she was born with a bright light surrounding her head.

It was said that she was born in the household of a Druid, who sent her to be reared with a Druidess, who taught her many things and recognized her holiness. She became a gold smith and a healer. Her father tried to sell her to a Druid who recognized her holiness and refused to marry her. She went on to reject all suitors and became a nun.

So, we have here the same figure. She's still named Brigid, still shown with a cow in her depictions, still the Goddess/Patroness of Ireland, still the patron of poets and artists, still "born" with a bright light shining from her head, still worshipped at the same well in Kildare.

The major difference, of course, is that the Christians neutered her. She was the Goddess of Spring and fertility and they turned her into a nun who rejected men. And we still see that in our world today: the fear and hatred that the fundamentalists of all stripes have for female sexuality. The Christians even went so far as to strip the mother out of the holy trinity. What should have been the Father, the Mother and the Son, became the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Instead of life emerging from the belly of a woman, it now manifests out of thin air.

Despite all of their efforts to reduce her to a pale, sexless nun, Brigid remained (and remains) the most popular religious figure in Ireland. She is the Goddess of the Emerald Isle and shall always be there.

Unknown Author